The Legend of Zelda NES Prototype Released Online

A notorious prototype copy of the NES classic The Legend of Zelda has finally made its way online. Video game archivist MrTalida (of the Keshi Corner preservation project) recently went to X to share that, following decades of ownership changes, the prototype’s ROM has been released by Frank Cifaldi (founder of the Video Game History Foundation). MrTalida’s post included a binary comparison between the prototype’s ROM and that of The Legend of Zelda‘s retail version, demonstrating just how much data differs between the two versions.

Zelda Dungeon has since reached out to MrTalida for more information on the prototype and the circumstances of its recent release. According to the archivist, the prototype (a yellow cartridge labeled “NOA COPY 2.23.87”) originally belonged to Nintendo of America legend Howard Phillips, as indicated by the hand-written initials “HP” on the cartridge’s label. The prototype has changed hands frequently amongst collectors over the past few decades, including through a high-profile eBay sale back in 2012. (The cartridge sold for $55K USD, an NES record at the time.)

Back in 2003, according to MrTalida, Frank Cifaldi dumped the prototype’s ROM for one of the cartridge’s former owners. And, after holding on to that ROM for over two decades, Cifaldi finally shared it in the Discord server of game preservation group Hidden Palace:

“I figure 21 years is long enough to hold on to this for the person I dumped it for, this is that yellow cart. probably very near final but I’d love for someone to dig into it”

Cifaldi emphasized to MrTalida that the ROM’s release is not associated with the Video Game History Foundation.

Since the release, archivists and enthusiasts have been combing through the prototype’s ROM to identify differences between it and the final version of the game. While the prototype precedes the final release by only a few months (The Legend of Zelda released in North America on August 22nd, 1987), its code is significantly different from that of the gold cartridge we all know, as evidenced by MrTalida’s binary comparison.

Dark Linkaël (founder of French-language Zelda site Triforce Legend and member of the CloudModding community) has documented a few prominent gameplay differences between the two versions. For example, the prototype exhibits a few different bugs, the respective opening story crawls contain different text, and the respective ending sequences feature different timing and sound effects.

An exhaustive list of differences between the two versions has yet to be compiled. “Judging by how many bits are changed between the proto and retail,” MrTalida tells us, “I am sure there are additional changes.”

Having a piece of Zelda history out there for all to see is certainly exciting. What do you think of the release? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Frank Cifaldi, MrTalida (via Nintendo Wire)

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